Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft), Author at CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

February 17, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Samsung Introduces Exynos 7870 Octa-Core Processor for Mid-Range Smartphones

Usually the higher the model number, the faster the processor, but not with Samsung, as the company’s new Exynos 7870 processor will feature eight ARM Cortex A53 cores @ 1.6 GHz coupled with an ARM Mali-T830MP GPU. It will be manufactured with 14nm FINFET process which should reduce power consumption by 30% compared to 28nm process. The processor also include an LTE Cat.6 2CA Modem that supports 300Mbps downlink speed and FDD-TDD joint carrier aggregation. Multimedia capabilities include 1080p 60fps video playback, 1920×1200 display resolution, and 16MP front or camera support (8MP in dual camera configuration) via its image signal processor (ISP). Exynos 7870 processor will also integrate a GNSS solution that delivers fast time-to-first-fix (TTFF) feature. In the recent pas, low and mid-range SoC were usually manufacturer with 28nm process due to the high cost of 14nm process, but those costs must have come down dramatically, after Snapdragon 625 […]

February 17, 2016April 26, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Meizu PRO 5 Ubuntu Edition Smartphone is Powered by Exynos 7420 Processor, Does NOT Support Desktop Mode Yet

So far most smartphones with alternative operating systems had rather low-end to mid-end hardware specifications, but according to OMG! Ubuntu!, Canonical and Meizu are about to change that, as they should be about to launch an Ubuntu Edition of Meizu PRO 5 smartphone with an Exynos 7420 octa-core Cortex A57/A53 processor coupled with 3 to 4GB RAM, 32 to 64GB storage., and a 5.7″ display with 1920×1080 resolution. The device will support convergence, meaning it could work in mobile or desktop mode, just like the recently announced BQ Aquaris M10 tablet. [Update: Finally, the USB-C port on Meizu PRO 5 does not support external display, so no convergence, unless Canonical decides to implement convergence over Miracast…]. Meizu PRO 5 Ubuntu Edition specifications: SoC – Samsung Exynos 7 Octa (Exynos 7420) octa core processor with 4x Cortex A57 core @ 2.1GHz + 4x Cortex A53 cores @ 1.5Ghz, and Mali-T760 MP8 GPU […]

February 17, 2016June 5, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 122 Comments

Voyo V3 Intel Atom x7-Z8700 mini PC Review with Windows 10

Voyo V3 is one of the first Cherry Trail mini PCs based on Intel Atom x7-Z8700 quad processor that promises both higher CPU and GPU performance, and more I/O connectivity compared to Intel Atom x5 platforms. I’ve already posted pictures of the device and its guts in the first part of the review, so today in part 2 of the review, I’ll focus on testing how the device perform with its pre-installed operating system: Windows 10 Home. Setup and System Information There’s no much to say about setup for this device, since all you have to do is to connect the cable, and press the button to access Windows 10 desktop. There are however two interesting aspect of the boot process: As you connect the power supply, you’ll see the power button blue LED lit, but it does not mean it has started. I could see the power consumption was […]

February 17, 2016February 17, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

NexDock is a 14″ Lapdock Alternative for mini PCs, Development Boards, Smartphones and Tablets (Crowdfunding)

Motorola once launched the Lapdock, a device that looks like a laptop with a 11.6″ screen and a keyboard, but without processor or memory since it was instead designed to connect to the company’s Atrix 4G smartphone. Motorola eventually pulled the plug on this concept, and maybe it was just ahead of its time, as a startup has now developed NexDock, a device similar to Lapdock with a 14″ display, built-in battery and Bluetooth keyboard. NexDock technical specifications: Display – 14.1″ TN screen; 1366×768 resolution; 16:9 display ratio Bluetooth 4.0 keyboard and touchpad Video input – mini HDMI port Audio Output – 3.5mm headphone port Storage – micro SD card slot USB – 2x USB ports Battery – 3.8V / 10000mAh Li-ion battery Power – 5V/2.5A via 3.5mm power barrel Dimensions – 351 mm x 233 mm x 20 mm Weight – 1490 grams NexDock is operating system agnostic and would […]

February 16, 2016February 16, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

DAB Embedded OpenWrt Router Board Combines Atmel SAMA5D3 SoC and Altera MAX 10 FPGA

DAB Embedded, a Belgian engineering company specialized in research and development of electronic products, has designed DAB-OWT-SAM5 router board powered by Atmel SAMA5D36 Cortex-A5 processor and Altera MAX 10 FPGA, which runs OpenWrt or Windows Embedded Compact 7, and targets IoT applications. DAB-OWT-SAM5 board specifications: SoC – Atmel SAMA5D36 ARM Cortex-A5 processor @ 536MHz with Floating-Point Unit. FPGA – Altera MAX 10 FPGA with integrated ADC (Exact part number not disclosed) System Memory – Up to 512MB DDR2 Storage – Up to 2GB NAND flash, 1Mbit SPI flash, micro SD slot Connectivity – 2x Fast Ethernet ports, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi (Direct, station mode, and soft-AP) via Atmel ATWILC1000B module Display Interface – LVDS connected to FPGA USB – 1x USB 2.0 host, 1x USB 2.0 device Expansion Connectors Wired interfaces – RS232, CAN 2.0 A/B, KNX, RS-485/422, etc… Wireless connectivity – Zigbee, Z-Wave, KNX RF, etc… Power Supply – 5V DC […]

February 16, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

OpenRex NXP I.MX6 Open Source Hardware Board Design Files Released

OpenRex is an open source hardware board powered by NXP i.MX6 designed by Fedevel, and the company has announced the release of Altium project design files including both schematics and PCB layout source files, as well as manufacturing documentation. OpenRex board specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX6 processor @ up to 4 cores @ 1.2GHz with 2D and 3D GPU MCU – NXP LPC1345FHN33 ARM Cortex-M3 micro-controller System Memory – DDR3-1066 (533MHz) up to 4GB Storage – SATA, micro SD slot, 1x I2C EEPROM, 1x SPI FLASH Video Output / Display I/F – 1x HDMI up to 2048×1536 resolution, LVDS, parallel RGB display output, touchscreen connector (Optional 4x Analog input) Audio – HDMI output, 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, Camera – 1x Parallel CSI camera (shared with RGB output), 1x MIPI CSI connector compatible with Raspberry Pi (shared with LVDS) Connectivity – 1x 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet USB – 2x USB 2.0 host […]

February 16, 2016February 16, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Microchip Introduces MPLAB Xpress Cloud-based IDE and MPLAB Xpress Evaluation Board

Microchip has just launched MPLAB Xpress online IDE with some of the most used features of the company’s MPLAB X IDE, as well as a free – in limited quantities – MPLAB Xpress evaluation board based on a PIC16 micro-controller. Let’s get through the development board specifications first: MCU – Microchip PIC16F18855 MCU with 14KB flash, 1KB SRAM, 256 bytes EEPROM USB – micro USB port for power and programming Expansion Headers Unpopulated mikroBUS header supporting one of 180 Click boards Unpopulated 2x 14-pin header with GPIOs, I2C, SPI, UART, ADC, etc… Misc – Reset button, user button, potentiometer Dimensions – N/A Playing with hardware is always more fun, but if you just want to evaluation the online IDE, you don’t even need the board. Visit MPLAB Xpress Code Examples page, load one of the example, possibly log-in if you want to save changes to the 10GB free online storage […]

February 15, 2016February 17, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 41 Comments

Voyo V3 mini PC Unboxing and Teardown

Voyo V3 is one of the first Intel Atom x7-Z8700 based mini PC announced so far, comes with 4GB RAM, and a 128 GB SSD. It was announced at the very beginning of the year, at the time it was not shipping yet. The good news is that the device is now available, as GearBest sent me one sample for review. I’ll start by checkout the hardware inside and out today, before publishing a full review in a few days. Voyo V3 Unboxing I’ve received the computer in its retail packaging. Everything is in Chinese, and the model is called MiniPC-Box_V3. A 12V/2A power supply, mini HDMI to HDMI cable (80 cm), a warranty card, a “qualified certificate”, and MiniPC-Box_V3 user’s manual are also included in the package. There’s something different with the power supply: it features a USB Type-C connector since that’s what the box is powered with. Voyo […]